I know, cheezy subject line, but I couldn't help it. The weather is very weird here in the Netherlands. I think I would much rather take straight up cold rather than this ridiculous wind. The wind is so unbelievably strong here sometimes, and then when some of these huge rainstorms are combined with it...... Ridiculous. We had a thunderstorm the other day as we were trying to walk to Ward Council. It's weird how much the landscape affects how the thunder sounds. It just sounded like a long constant growl from a lion every time there was lightning. So weird. Maybe it's cause there's no mountains? Dunno. Anyways, I am sorry though how cold it is in Utah =) It's really not that bad here. Just the wind and rain sucks. No snow. Anyways Carly says you guys are going on vacation! That'll be cool. I talked to a college student the other day about sailing, and I wouldn't mind going sailling somewhere warm! Or seeing some mountains! But uh.... I'm in the Netherlands =D I'll survive. Ha ha just messin with you guys!
New Year's Eve was absolutely crazy. Starting on like New Year's Adam (day before that), there was just a constant rumble and booms going off from fireworks. SOOOOOO MANY!!!!! We'd be talking to investigators on the street and then all of a sudden something would explode nearby and make us all jump! You couldn't count to 3 without another firework going off. None of the big sky ones yet, just a bunch of loud explosives. While we were going from door to door and contacting people on the street, I would joke around with them and wish them good luck with the war! Ha ha I'm funny. Guess you had to be there.... Then then sun went down on New Year's Eve and people started doing the big sky ones everywhere, and the explosives continued to roar on. When it hit midnight..... THE SKY WAS FILLED WITH FIREWORKS!!!!!! So freakin crazy!!!!! We had to be inside by 4:00 and weren't allowed to go outside or have Elders sleep over or anything, but it was amazing still. We slightly broke the rules and went ouside onto our roof and took some videos of the fireworks going off all around us. It's hard to describe, but yeah it was awesome. The fireworks didn't start slowing down until at least 12:30 at night. No joke. And they kept going pretty much the whole night. I was so dead tired though, that it was just difficult to fall asleep at first, but then I was out for almost the whole night. BUT WAIT! So we have these lofts in our house, with these little windows in the ceiling that we could stick our heads out. So we each got into our window and were looking all around, when all of a sudden this big firework flies up right in front of us, about 10 feet or so in front of our windows, rises just a little bit above us, and explodes. I saw the flash of it and hurry and ducked inside and slammed the window closed (as did Elder Nielsen thankfully), but it SCARED ME SO FREAKIN BAD!!!!!!!! Then the shratnel from it starting raining down and we could hear it hitting the windows and the top of the house. Funny stuff. Not gonna lie, almost swore. Emphasis on almost. It scared me that bad. Pulled a Christmas Story moment kind of. Anyways, that was fun. Then the next day, we went out to go do some missionary work. And it was a total ghosttown. Unreal. Fireworks, trash, broken glass, all over the streets everywhere. Poop, throw-up, etc, etc. You name it. Broken window at one place. And nobody was on the streets when we went out!!! Which is really really weird. Usually there's a lot of people. Then we went to go knock some doors and almost everyone was just wearing a bath robe still. Even when it was past noon! Crazy. So here comes the scary girl story for this week: Go up to this really nice house, knock the door, and Elder Nielsen's eyes go wide as he sees through the side window of the door. I think he said, "Good luck" or something like that right before she opened the door =D She was this mom who was wearing just a really long T-Shirt. Luckily it covered her well enough, but that was not a comfortable experience. Luckily, she wasn't interested in the Gospel and the contact didn't go too long. Anyways, that's New Year's in the Netherlands for ya.
So we're still suffering from Christmas and New Years and everything as far as missionary work goes. It's pretty ridiculous. Two of our investigators who we haven't seen for a while now, dropped us, possibly three. We had a really good lesson with that young college student I mentioned, but he said he wants to study by himself for now and he'll let us know if he wants to talk with us in the future. But we'll go back and check with him in a week and hope for the best. Too many people have told us lately of the things that they find on the internet or hear about us from other religions. It's so frustrating. I'm all for people learning as much as they want, I'd just rather they get the facts checked with us first. I've learned a lot of church history while I've been out here, a lot of things that people think are controversial, had a lot of interesting conversations. But my faith isn't based on mistakes by men, half-truths from people who just don't understand, the faith of others, etc. My testimony. My personal witness from the Holy Ghost. The miracles that I recognize in my life. The plan that I know God has for me. There's so many little tiny things that people use when they say they don't wanna talk with us. I wish that they would try. Truly try! We have one investigator who doesn't know how the Church can help him, because he's not actually trying with a sincere heart to follow God. Hopefully this week we can help him, because I know how much the Gospel can help him. It's been super hard seeing how he's been influenced by different things while we've been teaching him. He's so close, but is just getting influenced by the natural man and the words of mankind. Anyways, I've got faith in him. Hoping for the best.
So our Phillipine investigator, who is the closest to baptism, came with us to a member's house this last week and was super freakin funny, because it was New Year's Day.... AND SHE HAD A HANGOVER (a small one)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Elder Alston kept teasing her the whole time on the way there about it and she was getting so embarassed and kept hiding behind me. Literally hiding behind me. And she said a few things like, "Life is too short" and "It's all gone now" (no duh.. gosh.....) and "It was just one time." Ridiculously funny =D but also just ridiculous... Anyways that was super funny. Then we got there.... and taught a lesson with an anti-mormon present. It's a new key indicator actually. Just kiddin, but yeah this anti-mormon guy was there (he's a long story). Invited by this member.... Oh jeez..... Anyways, lesson is going really well talking about following the prophet --> Obedience/Commandments and then this member turns into a superhero and pulls out the big guns and tells a bunch of really powerful stories about gaining her testimony and different spiritual experiences. So awesome. Then comes the anti-mormon. We've decided he's a Sith Lord and usually wears a dark cloak and strikes people with lightning. The whole entire lesson he was just sitting there, looking creepily at all of us. Then he starts going off about how our investigator must gain her testimony by herself and learn these things by herself, we shouldn't be influencing her with our experiences and stories and everything. Which in part is true, she needs her own testimony and confirmation, but he was saying that we didn't have the right to help her learn or anything. Which doesn't make sense, because almost everyone that we meet, just doesn't even know how to find the full truth, so that's why we teach them how and then ask them to try it. It's not like we're forcing anyone. So he keeps going on and on and then the member keeps cutting him off (thankfully) and gets upset with him, telling him that he cannot say these negative things while in her house and how he's being rude, etc, etc. Us four missionaries are just silent the whole time and then we were able to turn the lesson around to being really good again. It's awesome the difference between when he was talking and when we were talking. The Spirit was so strong when we were talking. Anyways, we're pretty much just the coolest missionaries ever because we had an awesome lesson with an anti-mormon present. Boom goes the dynamite.
Okay last story, about the two Syrian parents that we visit every week who speak just a tiny Dutch. We were reading the Book of Mormon with them (they read in Arabic), when the dad turned the conversation to his family back in Syria. I always feel bad, he tells us about what they're going through every time we go, and there's nothing we can really do to help his family in Syria. We just try and bring them peace as much as possible. The past few times, they had Elder Huff proofread this paper, and he told us it was about the hard times that they were having in Syria. So this time, they give me this paper and have me read it. It's explaining how difficult their situation is and how they can't help their 3 sons and 6 grandchildren. They have no food, water, electricity, etc. Stores are often not open because the bombs are often blowing up stores, homes, roads, etc. There's no school or work for them. It was super sad. So then they ask us to take it to the bishop and ask him for help. The conversation keeps going and they're basically trying to get money to send to their family, or get a way to get their family to the Netherlands or at least out of the Middle East. We tried to explain to them that there isn't much we can do, but we'd pass the word on. It sucks to know that you can't really help them. But hopefully blessings will come there way somehow. Sad to think about how much we have though, when these parents just want their children and grandchildren to be safe.
Crap, didn't want to end this email on a sad note.... Okay well some good things are, that we're getting more dinner appointments now, the bishopric made some announcements about that to help us out. I'm really loving this area. Hengelo is a nice city to be in. Not really a touristy place, but just nice. Full of the Dutch culture still and not too crazy. I like the ward members a lot. We've got some good investigators. Things are going pretty well with my companion. And this week is actually the beginning of my 3rd transfer. It'll most likely be my last one here in Hengelo. So in 6 weeks I'll be sending you guys a letter, letting you know what my 2nd city is! Crazy stuff. But for now, I'm just chillin in Hengelo. Going shopping today in Enschede. There's tons of good sales going on now that the holidays are over. That's cool that Henry is gonna be over for a while, he's a cool guy. Sounds like Mom's working as hard as ever! Sarah Connor's gotta make sure she gets rid of all those terminators =) I'm still enjoying all of the Christmas presents you guys got me! Thanks a ton =D Yup, love you guys and hope that all is well! Fijne week!
New Year's Eve was absolutely crazy. Starting on like New Year's Adam (day before that), there was just a constant rumble and booms going off from fireworks. SOOOOOO MANY!!!!! We'd be talking to investigators on the street and then all of a sudden something would explode nearby and make us all jump! You couldn't count to 3 without another firework going off. None of the big sky ones yet, just a bunch of loud explosives. While we were going from door to door and contacting people on the street, I would joke around with them and wish them good luck with the war! Ha ha I'm funny. Guess you had to be there.... Then then sun went down on New Year's Eve and people started doing the big sky ones everywhere, and the explosives continued to roar on. When it hit midnight..... THE SKY WAS FILLED WITH FIREWORKS!!!!!! So freakin crazy!!!!! We had to be inside by 4:00 and weren't allowed to go outside or have Elders sleep over or anything, but it was amazing still. We slightly broke the rules and went ouside onto our roof and took some videos of the fireworks going off all around us. It's hard to describe, but yeah it was awesome. The fireworks didn't start slowing down until at least 12:30 at night. No joke. And they kept going pretty much the whole night. I was so dead tired though, that it was just difficult to fall asleep at first, but then I was out for almost the whole night. BUT WAIT! So we have these lofts in our house, with these little windows in the ceiling that we could stick our heads out. So we each got into our window and were looking all around, when all of a sudden this big firework flies up right in front of us, about 10 feet or so in front of our windows, rises just a little bit above us, and explodes. I saw the flash of it and hurry and ducked inside and slammed the window closed (as did Elder Nielsen thankfully), but it SCARED ME SO FREAKIN BAD!!!!!!!! Then the shratnel from it starting raining down and we could hear it hitting the windows and the top of the house. Funny stuff. Not gonna lie, almost swore. Emphasis on almost. It scared me that bad. Pulled a Christmas Story moment kind of. Anyways, that was fun. Then the next day, we went out to go do some missionary work. And it was a total ghosttown. Unreal. Fireworks, trash, broken glass, all over the streets everywhere. Poop, throw-up, etc, etc. You name it. Broken window at one place. And nobody was on the streets when we went out!!! Which is really really weird. Usually there's a lot of people. Then we went to go knock some doors and almost everyone was just wearing a bath robe still. Even when it was past noon! Crazy. So here comes the scary girl story for this week: Go up to this really nice house, knock the door, and Elder Nielsen's eyes go wide as he sees through the side window of the door. I think he said, "Good luck" or something like that right before she opened the door =D She was this mom who was wearing just a really long T-Shirt. Luckily it covered her well enough, but that was not a comfortable experience. Luckily, she wasn't interested in the Gospel and the contact didn't go too long. Anyways, that's New Year's in the Netherlands for ya.
So we're still suffering from Christmas and New Years and everything as far as missionary work goes. It's pretty ridiculous. Two of our investigators who we haven't seen for a while now, dropped us, possibly three. We had a really good lesson with that young college student I mentioned, but he said he wants to study by himself for now and he'll let us know if he wants to talk with us in the future. But we'll go back and check with him in a week and hope for the best. Too many people have told us lately of the things that they find on the internet or hear about us from other religions. It's so frustrating. I'm all for people learning as much as they want, I'd just rather they get the facts checked with us first. I've learned a lot of church history while I've been out here, a lot of things that people think are controversial, had a lot of interesting conversations. But my faith isn't based on mistakes by men, half-truths from people who just don't understand, the faith of others, etc. My testimony. My personal witness from the Holy Ghost. The miracles that I recognize in my life. The plan that I know God has for me. There's so many little tiny things that people use when they say they don't wanna talk with us. I wish that they would try. Truly try! We have one investigator who doesn't know how the Church can help him, because he's not actually trying with a sincere heart to follow God. Hopefully this week we can help him, because I know how much the Gospel can help him. It's been super hard seeing how he's been influenced by different things while we've been teaching him. He's so close, but is just getting influenced by the natural man and the words of mankind. Anyways, I've got faith in him. Hoping for the best.
So our Phillipine investigator, who is the closest to baptism, came with us to a member's house this last week and was super freakin funny, because it was New Year's Day.... AND SHE HAD A HANGOVER (a small one)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Elder Alston kept teasing her the whole time on the way there about it and she was getting so embarassed and kept hiding behind me. Literally hiding behind me. And she said a few things like, "Life is too short" and "It's all gone now" (no duh.. gosh.....) and "It was just one time." Ridiculously funny =D but also just ridiculous... Anyways that was super funny. Then we got there.... and taught a lesson with an anti-mormon present. It's a new key indicator actually. Just kiddin, but yeah this anti-mormon guy was there (he's a long story). Invited by this member.... Oh jeez..... Anyways, lesson is going really well talking about following the prophet --> Obedience/Commandments and then this member turns into a superhero and pulls out the big guns and tells a bunch of really powerful stories about gaining her testimony and different spiritual experiences. So awesome. Then comes the anti-mormon. We've decided he's a Sith Lord and usually wears a dark cloak and strikes people with lightning. The whole entire lesson he was just sitting there, looking creepily at all of us. Then he starts going off about how our investigator must gain her testimony by herself and learn these things by herself, we shouldn't be influencing her with our experiences and stories and everything. Which in part is true, she needs her own testimony and confirmation, but he was saying that we didn't have the right to help her learn or anything. Which doesn't make sense, because almost everyone that we meet, just doesn't even know how to find the full truth, so that's why we teach them how and then ask them to try it. It's not like we're forcing anyone. So he keeps going on and on and then the member keeps cutting him off (thankfully) and gets upset with him, telling him that he cannot say these negative things while in her house and how he's being rude, etc, etc. Us four missionaries are just silent the whole time and then we were able to turn the lesson around to being really good again. It's awesome the difference between when he was talking and when we were talking. The Spirit was so strong when we were talking. Anyways, we're pretty much just the coolest missionaries ever because we had an awesome lesson with an anti-mormon present. Boom goes the dynamite.
Okay last story, about the two Syrian parents that we visit every week who speak just a tiny Dutch. We were reading the Book of Mormon with them (they read in Arabic), when the dad turned the conversation to his family back in Syria. I always feel bad, he tells us about what they're going through every time we go, and there's nothing we can really do to help his family in Syria. We just try and bring them peace as much as possible. The past few times, they had Elder Huff proofread this paper, and he told us it was about the hard times that they were having in Syria. So this time, they give me this paper and have me read it. It's explaining how difficult their situation is and how they can't help their 3 sons and 6 grandchildren. They have no food, water, electricity, etc. Stores are often not open because the bombs are often blowing up stores, homes, roads, etc. There's no school or work for them. It was super sad. So then they ask us to take it to the bishop and ask him for help. The conversation keeps going and they're basically trying to get money to send to their family, or get a way to get their family to the Netherlands or at least out of the Middle East. We tried to explain to them that there isn't much we can do, but we'd pass the word on. It sucks to know that you can't really help them. But hopefully blessings will come there way somehow. Sad to think about how much we have though, when these parents just want their children and grandchildren to be safe.
Crap, didn't want to end this email on a sad note.... Okay well some good things are, that we're getting more dinner appointments now, the bishopric made some announcements about that to help us out. I'm really loving this area. Hengelo is a nice city to be in. Not really a touristy place, but just nice. Full of the Dutch culture still and not too crazy. I like the ward members a lot. We've got some good investigators. Things are going pretty well with my companion. And this week is actually the beginning of my 3rd transfer. It'll most likely be my last one here in Hengelo. So in 6 weeks I'll be sending you guys a letter, letting you know what my 2nd city is! Crazy stuff. But for now, I'm just chillin in Hengelo. Going shopping today in Enschede. There's tons of good sales going on now that the holidays are over. That's cool that Henry is gonna be over for a while, he's a cool guy. Sounds like Mom's working as hard as ever! Sarah Connor's gotta make sure she gets rid of all those terminators =) I'm still enjoying all of the Christmas presents you guys got me! Thanks a ton =D Yup, love you guys and hope that all is well! Fijne week!